Watch container



Patented May 16, 1939 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE WATCH CONTAINER Application April 5, 1932, Serial No. 603,405

4 Claims.

This invention relates to a Watch and has for one of its objects to provide a construction which may be used as a pocket time piece of the socalled hunting'case type or used as a clock to be set upon a table or bureau for observation.

Another object of this invention is the control of the movable parts adapting the watch for its difierent uses by operation of a single finger piece.

A further object of the in'vention'is the provision of a case having a swingable time piece mounted therein'a'nd a cover hinged to close over the watch movement and close the case, with the parts held in closed position by catches, both of which are controlled by a single finger piece, the'arrangement being such that upon initial pressure on the finger piece the cover will open, and upon subsequent or further movement of the finger piece the time piece will swing out of 20 the casing for observation. v

With these and other objects in view, the invention' consists of certain novel features of 'construction, as will be more fully described, and particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

In the accompanying drawing:

Fig. l is a perspective View of the watch case in closed position with a watch chain attached thereto, the same being of a size for positioning in the vest pocket or the like.

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the case with the cover in open position.

Fig. 3 is a perspective View showing the cover as swung to open position and the time piece swung to the position desired for observation 35 when resting upon a table or the like.

Fig. 4 is a section on line 4-4 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 5 is a view similar to Fig. 4 showing the parts in the position which they assume in Fig. 3.

40 Fig. 6 is a section on line 66 of Fig. 4 with the time piece omitted and showing the relation of the catch parts.

It is frequently desirable to use a pocket watch in a position convenient to be seen on a table or bureau, especially to be observed before arising in the morning, and in order that the pocket watch may serve such purposes I have provided a hinged mounting for a unit or movement carrying the time mechanism so that while the casing rests upon the table or the like in the flat position, the time piece will be at an angle to the table or more nearly vertical so as to be viewed from a distance from the table or from the level of the table or slightly below, adapting it to be seen a short distance across the room or when one islying in bed with a table in a short distance therefrom. "And, in order that the movements of the parts, adapting this construction to these various'uses, may be easily controlled, I have provided a'fing'er piece which J upon initial movement will release the cover to open and by subsequent or further movement will release the time piece permitting eachto be swung under spring pressure to their openposi- 4 tion; and the following is a detailed'des'cripti'on of the present embodiment of this invention illustrating the preferred meansby'which these advantageous results may be accomplished.

With reference to the drawingylll designates the casing which has a generally rectangular' opening H therein. At one edge or end of this opening acover I2 is hingedly mounted" as at l3 to swing about this pintle pin "M by means of spring i5 to move it to open position, the'c'over engaging this edge of the opening to limit its swinging movement. A time piece l1 having an obverse face [8 with numerals l9 and handsf thereon is located within the casing and is hing'ed as at 2| adjacent the opposite edge of the opening to be swung 'about'itsihinge'by means of. a-

spring 22 until it reaches the position illustrated in Figure 5 where its edge 23 engages the edge of the opening to limit its movement beyond this position.

The time piece I! is held Within the hollow casing ill by means of a latch 24 mounted upon the-resilient member 26 within the casing and which extends over the abutment surface of the catch secured to the edge of the movement to hold this movement in the hollow casing against the action of the spring 22.

The cover I2 is provided with a flange 21 which has a notch 28 forming a catch to be engaged by the latch 29 and held in closed position. The latch is formed on the member 30 having a finger piece 3| extending out through the case and which member 30 has a strap portion 32 raised from the stock thereof and through which the resilient member 26 passes for connection thereto.

The resilient member 26 is generally U-shaped in construction with its end portion 33 positioned against an abutment 34 in the case, and the parts are so arranged that upon initial pressure of the finger piece 3! it will be flexed and the latch 29 will be moved to disengage its catch 28 in the cover, permitting the cover to move to open position, as illustrated in Figure 2, while latch 24 will be maintained in engagement with the catch 25 during this release and swinging movement of the cover l2. Upon further movement inwardly of the finger piece 3|, the latch 24 will be moved to disengage the catch 25, permitting the time piece I! to be swung about its hinge pivot 2| by means of the spring 22 to the position illustrated in Figures 3 and 5. Thus both operations or actions of the watch movement and the cover are controlled by pressure on a single member or finger piece 3|. Each of these swinging parts are limited in their opening movement and may be closed one after the other.

Where the device is carried as a watch in the pocket of the user, a watch chain 35 may be connected to the ring 36 on the case by means of the swivel hook 37, and in such use a slight pressure on the finger piece will release only the cover that the watch may be used as a watch having a so called hunting case. However, upon retiring or where it is desired that the time may be observed without removal of the watch from the 'pocket, a pressure on the finger piece additional to that needed for opening the cover is had, such as one continued inward pressure until both parts operate, or two successive pressures one after the other to permit first opening of the cover and then swinging of the movement to the open position which permits of this additional use by the construction.

The foregoing description is directed solely towards the construction illustrated, but I desire it to be understood that I reserve the privilege of resorting to all the mechanical changes to which the device is susceptible, the invention being defined and limited only by the terms of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A device of the character described, comprising a casing, a cover for said casing hingedly mounted in said casing and provided with a detent thereon, a member hingedly mounted in said casing and provided with a projection thereon, the depth of said detent being less than the distance said projection extends from said member, a U- shaped member mounted on said casing and having a catch thereon engaging said projection for retaining said member in closed position, a second catch movable with said U-shaped member for engaging said detent for retaining said cover in closed position, and a single finger piece for moving said U-shaped member for swinging said cover and said member to open position upon the release of said catches.

2. The combination of a casing having substantially all one side open, a time piece movement member, mounted to swing in one direction on a pivot near the opening in said casing, a cover member mounted to swing in the opposite direction from said member about a pivot near the edge of said opening, said members arranged to close one above the other, springs for swinging said members about their pivots, latch means for holding said members in closed position, and a single finger piece arranged to operate said latch means to release said cover member first and then said movement member.

3. The combination as set forth in claim 2 and in which the latch means includes a U-shaped resilient member whose ends rest against abutments in the case and to which the finger piece is attached near the middle of the U member, the finger piece having two catches thereon one of which extends to the opposite side of the case from the finger piece.

4. In a mounting for a watch, in combination, a casing, means forming an opening in said casing, a watch movement hingedly mounted in said casing and adapted to swing through said opening, a cover for said opening hinged to said casing, spring means for moving said cover to an open position and for swinging said watch movement through said opening, a U-shaped member mounted on said casing having a catch thereon engaging said watch movement for retaining it within said casing, a second catch formed on said U-shaped member for engaging and retaining said cover in a closed position, and a single'finger piece for moving said U-shaped member to Suecessively release said catches.

WILFRID J. ROY. 

